The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-04-23
TO THE DOCTORS.

.Ehe Action of the Philadelphia Ouakers
Regarding the Use of Alcohol by the
Medical Fraternity.
The Temperance Committee of the
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the
Society of Friends has issued the fol-
lowing timely Address to physicians,
bearing the signatures of President
Edward H. Magill, of Swarthmore
College, as chairman, and Henry T.
Child, M. D., as clerk of the COM
mittee:
AN ADDRESS TO THE MEDICAL FACULTY ON THE
USE OF ALCOHOL IN THE PRACTICE OF
MEDICINE.
"Deeply sensible of the vast responsibility
which rests upon the members of the medical
profession in regard to the enormous evils of
intemperance resulting from the use Of intox1-
eating beverages, we address you, and wish to
call your attention to the facts in relation to
this subject.
You are not only the chosen guardians of the
health of the community, but your position is
'emlnently that of teachers-the very name doc
tor signifies teacher. All classes of the com
munity look to you for advice, and are very
much influenced by that which you give them.
How often do we hear the saying: Our doctor
says this IS right, or that is wrong? Especially
is this true in the case of young mothers and
your influence over these, either for good or
eVll, Will be felt for more than one generation,
The use OF stimulants and narcotics during this
important period often stamping an inherent
taste for alcohol in the child. as well as causing
the mother to adopt their habitual use 1t is
well known that during the last thirty years our
knowledge OF the properties of alcohol and of
those compounds in which it is found and used,
mas been greatly extended The fact that fer
mented liquors, cider, malt-liquors and wines
contain more or less alcohol was scarcely rec
ognized. but we now know that these drinks are
all OF them capable of producing intoXication
That they interfere very seriously with diges-
ton and nutrition, and especially with the re.
moVal OF effcte matters from the system. is now
a well-established fact. The alcohol is the
same in these as in distilled liquors, differing
only in quantity.
1.-The question whether alcohol is a food or a
generator of heat has been carefully examined
and the evidence seems to be clear that it is
neither Many eminent physicians have arrived
at the conclusion that it is simply an irritant
narcotic poison; that it enters the human sys-
TEN, either by absorption or inhalation as
alcohol, that it remains in the blood-vessels
and tissues for a time as alcohol, and that it
passes out OF the body through the various
'emunctories without change
Those who believe in the necessity of the
use of alcohol a medicine must be aware
that the various liquors in which it is found
are not at all reliable, either as to the GUAM
dients with which they are adulterated under
the name of compounds The fact that almost
all wines and liquors now sold are adulterated
is well established
I'VE would refer the reader to the chapter
on Authorizations, in Gustafson's Foundation
OF DEATH PIP. 46 to Sc.
DR.. Benjamin w. Richardson, of London
Eng, an eminent scientist and physician, was
convinced in his earlier investigations that it
was uncertain and unsafe to prescribe any Of
the wines or liquors in common use He there
Tore prescribed pure alcohol, diluted with wa
ter, so that he knew that he had fixed amount
OF the former without any OF the impurities
which were contained in the liquors.
Every conscientious physician is careful to
nave the remedies used pure as possible
and no one will advocate the use of alcohol by
persons in health and it is an important oues-
ton for the medical practitioner to settle as to
how far it may be advantageous to use it as a
medicine.
We respectfully ask you to examine this
carefully without prejudice. We refer YOU to
the statistics and reports of the London Tenn
perance Hospital, which was established in
1864. (See pages POS to 215) Gustafson: The
reports are invariably satisfactory THE
treatment is altogether without alcohol in any
form AS matter of fact alcohol has only
been used in one or two experimental cases
within ten years, and in these without beneficial
results
1--WE trust that the loose and ndiscriminate
practice of recommending persons to procure
for themselves any kinds of liquors as medi-
cines will no longer prevail, as it is almost GER
tam to lead to the evils of intoxication which
no class OF the community have so full an op-
portunity of witnessing as the members of the
medical profession, whose intimate relations
with their patients and their families compel
them to witness these evils in all their stages
and who are thereby enabled to WELD a power
1ul influence for good, if by their precept and
examples they are faithful to their highest
convictions of right.
Another fruitful source of intemperance
Tor which the medical profession is not alto
gether responsible, is the use OF patent or pro-
pr!etary medicines, almost all Of which con-
tain alcohol and hence are calculated to create
an appetite or thirst for ntoxicants. We ask
you to use your influence against these
" The use OF alcohol in the Official prepare
lions is subject worthy of very serious consid
Grafton. We would recommend great care and
caution in the continued use OF these, especial
1y after the patient has passed from under the
immediate care OF the physician, it is very
likely to establish the habit of drinking The
great number of fiuid-extracts OF valuable med
1clnes furnishes means Of avoiding these If a
little care is taken in their use. 1t is to be
hoped that we shall be able to dispense with
the use of alcohol in medicines by the substitu-
tion of harmless vehicles for the remedies re-
quired.
" In conclusion, we ask your sincere and I'M
biassed consideration of the suggestions we
have presented, our object being to promote
thS dignity snd usefulness OF your noble pro-
fes.ion, and the good of all mankind.
EDWARD II. MAGILL, Chairman.
HENRY Il. CHILD Clerk"
The above address was approved by
Che Committee on Temperance and In
soxicating Beverages of Philadelphia.
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